A Thousand Crows
by Furu Kei
Summary: Another KonoSetsu Oneshot. Setsuna as a guy...should there be any differences from our adorable girl Setsuna?


**A/N:** I thought about it. Then I thought about it some more…And I realized that I should write a style preview for Se-kun as well. It doesn't seem fair that I did one for Double Existence but not for Se-kun . Se-kun was winning in the vote until I wrote Teach Her How to Cry, so if I left it as it is, then there could be a possibility that the vote was slightly skewed- two stories outweighing the other one. 

Please vote (Se-kun or Double Existence)! Since I waited so long to post this Se-kun style preview, I will move the voting deadline back to sometime in next two weeks (Lets say… Christmas?) I have finished writing Chapter Four of Half of a Soul, and will be uploading it in a few days (and all replies from reviews in all my stories will be in that update).

I hope I don't disappoint! (Though considering that Teach Her How to Cry is a culmination of many years of writing in an angst style…while this type of writing is slightly new to me…) So…here it is. My first attempt at a no-angst story (My stories tend to lean towards angst rather then fluffy/light...) Please leave comments! Especially since this style is so new to me…I hope to learn how to improve it…

Disclaimer: I do not own _Negima_, nor the story of _A Thousand Paper Cranes_.

Warning: Setsuna is a guy in this one (just like in Se-kun). The reason why I chose to depict Setsuna as a guy, is because I believe that whatever gender Setsuna is, KonoSetsu will be able to retain its wonderfulness. It is not the gender that effects the love and the personalities of "Kono" and "Setsu". If Setsuna had really been a guy, I believe he would love Konoka just the same, and we would love them both just the same. The only difference is that Setsuna would be less shy of showing his love as romantic rather than friendship. No, I am not trying to convert anyone to thinking that girlxgirl is not as good as girlxguy, nor am I trying to make any girlxguy followers accept KonoSetsu by making Setsuna a guy. I just hope people can stop seeing them by their gender, but as two individuals, deeply in love with each other.

A Thousand Crows

There was a determined light in his red eyes, which shined straight into the Elder's when looked up from his bowing position. Silver hair flew across his shoulders, as he readjusted the white wings on his back to stand up from his present kneel.

Eishun laughed at the demon's seriousness.

"Please stand. Why so formal, Setsuna-kun? That you are revealing your true form while bowing to me…"

"Elder. I am present here today in my true self, in my true form, to show the extent of my seriousness- that I am speaking to you as Setsuna. A Setsuna who does not deny his lowly birth, nor the fact that he knows everyone else must be more deserving to say these words which he is about to speak…"

Setsuna's eyes retained their unwavering glow, yet the words from his mouth gradually became softer until it was but a small meaningless mumble. A blush began to appear on his face, as he spoke once more.

"W-What I'm saying is…I mean what I want to say is…"

A short intake of breath from the half-demon, and Eishun's eyes widened as he began to comprehend what Setsuna was about to say.

"Through your kindness and permission, Kono-ch- I mean- Konoka-Ojousama and I have been together for many years. We will both be graduating from Mahora Academy's college division this spring. As such, I…I hope to ask you- even if you should banish me, punish me as you must- I….I hope to ask your daughter for her hand in marriage."

Upon finishing the sentence, the half-demon knelt down once more, head lowered to stare at the ground beneath.

A burst of laughing from the Elder startled Setsuna to look up.

"Great! I was wondering when you'd ask. You must know that I cannot find a single person more fit for my daughter than you. You have my blessings, although I must say, it would be better if you ask her rather than me."

Eishun paused, pulling the demon to stand back up. Setsuna changed his hair and eyes back to its everyday form. His wings once again disappeared.

"On second thought, if this is my daughter we're talking about, then you have no reason to be afraid of being rejected. I suspect- _she_ would have been the person asking you, had you not been quick enough."

Still laughing, Konoe Eishun pushed the half-demon out of the door.

"Now go! Ask her, and bring me the good news afterwards."

------------------------

Setsuna paced around in front of the door to his room, one hand in a pocket of the Shimeiryuu garment he wore, clutching a small box.

Konoka would be inside, he knew.

Konoka had always enjoyed doing house work. Lately, her favorite place to do them was in Setsuna's room; making breakfast for him, folding his clothes, and waiting for him to come back from his daily patrol around school. No matter how many times he told her that she was the princess, and he should be the one doing everything for her, a quick innocent Konoka-smile would end all arguments.

A warmth filled his heart as he thought about Konoka and her smile. Wouldn't it be wonderful if she could smile to him like that, each and every day, as his wife?

With renewed resolve, Setsuna opened the door to the dorm room and entered-

-only to be immediately tackled to the ground.

"Se-kun! What took you so long? I've been waiting for you to come and choose what we should have for dinner tonight. What do you want me to make?"

"Kono-chan."

Setsuna sighed, then pulled the both of them up, Konoka still holding on to him tightly.

"Actually, I…I wanted to make dinner today, Kono-chan."

Konoka pouted. "But-"

"I want today to be a special day for the both of us. I have something very important to tell you. Would it be okay with you, then, to go spend a few hours with Asuna, and let me take care of our dinner?"

Konoka looked at her knight suspiciously, then removed her hold on Setsuna.

"Can't I at least help?"

Her eyes were round, and hopeful.

Setsuna almost melted, but his voice remained firm.

"No, Kono-chan. I hope you would let me make dinner for you today."

---------

Dinner was not perfect, by any means, as Setsuna was not exactly a master-chef. The romantic background music that he borrowed from Chamo turned out to be the electronic version of _Happy Material_, and the dim light and candles were a bit clichéd to his taste, so he regretted not being able to think of a better method for a romantic dinner.

All in all the dinner went smoothly, however, as Setsuna received a huge smile from Konoka, and then a kiss for being so "sweet"- as the princess called it.

Setsuna had melted right then.

Setsuna had to gather himself back together afterwards, and prepared himself to what he was about to say while his hands nervously fingered the black box he held under the table.

"Ummm…I really don't know how to begin this, but… I…we…We are graduating from college soon. And I - I can never bear to be apart from you."

"I won't leave you, Se-kun." Konoka said, as she tilted her head, and leaned forward, as if curious.

"But what I mean to say, is that I want to be with you always. Day and night… every second, every minute, every hour…I…will you…Will you…"

Setsuna's words were lost by then, and he stood up, a deep blush adorning his face.

A flash of understanding sparked through Konoka, and she giggled, then walked over to the half-demon.

She placed a finger on the startled demon's lips, and pulled Setsuna's hands up to reveal the box.

"Will you…marry me?" she said, as Setsuna's eyes widened.

The Konoe heiress chuckled.

"How long have we been dating?"

The samurai's blush worsened. "I-It should have been earlier, but I couldn't bring out the courage to ask you out officially as a date… until you and Chamo got me drunk during our high school graduation, and I kissed you by accident… afterwards, you told me that I had to take responsibility for being your first kiss, and I asked you to be my girlfriend."

"How long have we known each other?'

Setsuna looked into her eyes.

"Ever since we were around five."

"Do you think I wouldn't have noticed what you were planning? Do you know that my answer has always been in front of you, that I have waited my entire life to answer you?"

The half-demon lost his breath. "Then-"

Konoka's moved her face closer to the demon, their lips almost touching.

"But I can't answer you yet. Not until you can ask me without a stutter in your voice, without a doubt in your heart, because you have always known what the answer would be."

Setsuna looked into the girl's chocolate eyes, and lost himself in them.

_"Will you let me take care of you, love you forever?"_

Konoka smiled. "I-"

"I DISAPPROVE!"

The headmaster's voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"Do you know what you are asking the next leader to both the Kansai and Kanto magic associations? Konoka needs someone powerful, someone who can aid her in leading both associations. You-"

A small whack in the head by Konoka's mallet stopped his speech.

"Ji-san. I love him. I believe he has enough power to help me."

The old head master sighed, then turned to Setsuna.

"Fine. If you want to marry my granddaughter, then you have to prove your strength to me. I will hold a challenge tomorrow, by the lake at Library Island. If you succeed, then the both of you will have my blessings."

-----------

"Ah, so that's what happened." Asuna said, as Konoka explained to her and Negi.

"But what is this challenge about?" Negi asked.

Setsuna's face was serious.

"Just as you are good with spells that involve wind, Negi-sensei, the head master works with spells that involve water. He is offering a challenge to everyone, that they use their magic, ki, or even technology, to create a fire, and bring it over the lake to reach Library Island. The challengers themselves must stay on this side of the shore, while their "fire" crosses the water barrier created by the headmaster to reach the Island."

Setsuna sighed, then looked over at Konoka, who had distracted herself from the discussion by leaning onto the demon while she folded a sheet of white paper in her hand into a crane.

"I don't think I have much chance against the headmaster."

Konoka made no comment as she placed her head on the demon's shoulders, and the group sat there, thinking, for the rest of the night. At around midnight, Asuna and Negi prepared for bed, while Setsuna and Konoka remained sitting together in the center of the dorm room. Konoka continued folding cranes.

"Se-kun, you are worried, aren't you?"

"Ah. Yes."

"But I believe in you, Se-kun. I believe you can still win, somehow."

Konoka handed her protector a paper crane.

"Have you heard the story of_ The_ _Thousand Paper Cranes_?"

Setsuna shook his head.

"There was a legend, that if a person can fold a thousand paper cranes in one night, then their wish would be granted. Once, there was a very sick girl who tried to fold a thousand cranes in hope that she would be well again."

"Did it work?" Setsuna asked.

Konoka shook her head.

"Ie. She died, in the end. But never once did she lose hope. We don't know the result until we try."

Setsuna smiled then, and kissed the princess on the cheek.

"Yeah."

They sat together, folding the cranes late into the night, until Konoka fell asleep. Setsuna carried Konoka to her bed, then took the paper cranes back to his dorm.

--------------

"Baka Setsuna. What's taking him so long?" Asuna paced around the lake.

"The challenge has started already."

Indeed, many challengers have arrived. All have failed.

Konoka watched as a new group challengers came by the lake.

One person lit a fire inside the cage of a submarine-like machine he had created, and used a remote to move it out to the middle of the lake. Before it had moved even three feet, the lake's waters seemed to rumble, and push the machine back to shore, breaking it on a rock in the process.

A martial artist projected his ki to light a huge candle, which he put on a boat. Once again using his ki, he pushed the boat far into the lake, only to be sunk as the lake's water seemed to divide into two, then clash together.

Yet another person- a magician this time- used raw magic, with no medium at all, to project a fire ball across the lake. A particularly high wave rose from the water, and provided a barrier to put the fire out.

And so the challenges went on and on, each one different than the other, each one failing to get the flame across.

After a few hours, the number of challengers began to fall, until even the last did not succeed.

"Well, Konoka? Where is that boyfriend of yours?" The headmaster folded his arms behind his back.

Suddenly, a loud cry resounded from the sky, and they all looked up to the source of the sound.

Birds. A thousand white omnyou birds, each carrying a small, lighted candle on its beak, flew towards the lake.

"Gomen, Kono-chan. I'm late. I had to finish folding all of the birds."

Setsuna flew to them, his true form once again revealed. He grinned, then concentrated on his ki to get the birds to fly to Library Island.

"Your story inspired me. _A Thousand Paper Cranes_. Or in this case, a thousand omnyou crows. A thousand pieces of my heart, as long as one remains, it shall continue loving you, continue carrying the hope that I might one day spend my life with you."

Wave after wave of water rained upon the birds, putting out some of the candles and tearing apart some of them.

They struggled.

Setsuna's hands found their way to grasp Konoka's.

Explosion after explosion of water rapidly decreased the number of omnyou birds. But there were many. So many that the water could not catch them all, and in the end, through one last blast of water, nine birds remained to arrive at the Island, carrying their lighted candles.

"Ah well," Konoemon said as he dodged the water onslaught from the last explosion. "At least I am sure now, that Konoka will be in good hands. Protect her well, grandson-in-law."

He glanced over at the couple, but they did not hear him.

As the rain of water fell, everyone had headed for shelter. Setsuna stood beside the princess, his wings outstretched to block the water from hitting her.

"You know, I never had the chance to ask you properly yesterday. And considering as how we are both standing under the rain, my wings as an umbrella, I think it could be called a romantic moment, ne?"

Konoka giggled. "Every moment is perfect with you, Se-kun."

"So. Will you? Will you marry me?"

Konoka leaned forward, looking at her own reflection in his eyes.

_Of course. Of course I will._

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End.

A/N: Yay! My first no-angst! (although I wouldn't call Half of a Soul as an angst either, it does have some in it) Please leave comments everyone! (Seriously, I need a Lot of help in writing no-angst. Even more help in writing Humor (haven't tried humor, yet…I am thinking of attempting some humor in the later parts of Half of A Soul and Se-kun.)

By the way, in case I haven't said it before. My style previews show only the style and genre in which I will be writing in Se-kun and Double Existence (some personality interpretations of the characters may be the same, and the slight angst or fluffyness would be similar- if not more exaggerated than the Oneshots). The stories, however, are entirely separate.

Please Vote!


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